A: Absolutely. Fans seem to love Rose or despise him, few in-betweens. And there are Hall of Famers dead set against his induction, some threatening to boycott Cooperstown if he is voted in. I’ve been wrong before, but Manfred already rejected a Rose appeal once and probably will do so again. If he does lift the ban, he is telling everybody it is OK to bet on baseball and you will be forgiven.
Q: Since they are leaving Elly De La Cruz at shortstop, can Terry Francona help him cut down on his errors? — JACK, Miamisburg.
A: I still say De La Cruz belongs in center field, but Francona has more knowledge about baseball in his left little fingernail than I have in my muddled brain. De La Cruz led baseball last season with 29 errors. Most came on routine plays while he makes the spectacular ones. It must be concentration and Francona should be able to communicate that to him. By the way, Pittsburgh shortstop Oneil Cruz made the second most, 26, and the Pirates moved him to guess where? Center field.
Q: Did Terry Francona get to pick his coaches or was he forced to keep what was there last year? —BOB, Belmont.
A: I am surprised he didn’t bring pitching coach Carl Willis with him because Willis has been his guy for a long time. But Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson has a multi-year contract. Yes, most of David Bell’s coaches are back — bench coach Freddie Benavides, third base coach J.R. House and first base coach Collin Cowgill. I wouldn’t say they were forced on hm. I’m sure he agreed. What boggles my mind is that there are 11 coaches. During Sparky Anderson’s tenure, he had Larry Shepard, Ted Kluszewski, Alex Grammas and Jim Lett ... four guys.
Q: What song do you think Pete Rose would have chosen for his walk-up song? — GREG, Beavercreek.
A: They didn’t have walk-up songs during Pete’s playing days. You can, uh, bet it wouldn’t have been Jailhouse Rock. Maybe Walk Like A Man (Four Seasons) or Macho Man (The Village People) or Hit It Hard (Peaches) or Three Hits (Indigo Girls).
Q: How do you think the Cardinals will match up against the Reds this season? — MICHELLE, Kona, Hawaii.
A: As you know, love between those two teams is non-existent and they’ll fight at the drop of a batting glove. The Reds are the up-and-comers and the Cardinals are in their own Reconstruction Act. I expect the Reds to dominate the Cardinals, but I also foolishly expect to beat the blackjack dealer on every hand.
Q: Who were the best and worst umpires you covered? GEORGE, Morton Grove, IL.
A: Believe it or not, most umpires are extremely good in one of the toughest professions. Where else does one of your decisions get booed by 50,000 people? Doug Harvey, known as ‘God’ by the players, was one of best. I thought John McSherry was top shelf. Eric Gregg was more interested in ‘show’ than getting calls right. Gregg, close to 300 pounds, if not more, once missed a call at third base and Reds manager Pete Rose yelled at him, “If there was a cheeseburger on the bag you wouldn’t have missed it.” The worst? Probably Dave Pallone, who had issues with Rose and Reds shortstop Dave Concepcion.
Q: Why haven’t the Reds signed Elly De La Cruz to at least a five-year extension because if they don’t he will be gone in three years through free agency? — MIKE, Indianapolis.
A: Two quick reasons. ONE: m-o-n-e-y. Bob Castellini hasn’t sold enough produce to come up with the cash he would want. TWO: Elly wouldn’t give up two years of free agent eligibility when he has already said he wants to play for the New York Yankees or the Los Angeles Dodgers, teams that can give him enough cash to purchase a beach in the Dominican Republic.
Q: Can President Donald Trump really force the Hall of Fame to let Pete Rose in? — MARTHA, Englewood.
A: No, he can’t. It is just a ‘grandstanding’ move. He can give him a presidential pardon for Pete’s income tax evasion, but Rose already served his time. There is no way Trump can push Rose into The Hall. Commissioner Rob Manfred has to remove Rose’s permanent ban and then the Hall of Fame would take it from there. Do you think Trump is a baseball fan?
Q: How can the Cincinnati Reds compete when just one player is making more money than the entire Reds’ payroll, including the minor leagues? —TIM, Englewood.
A: It’s more than one player on other teams, it is several, most notably Juan Soto of the Mets and Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers. And the Reds aren’t Lonesome Cowboys. Several MLB teams have payrolls lower than the salaries of Soto and Ohtani. In fact, most of them. That’s why a salary cap is needed and when the current contract expires after 2026, the owners are going to push for it. What does that mean? Probably a player’s strike.
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